CUPW TRANSLATION

Montreal, March 7, 2008 –  Less than three weeks before Pointe-Saint-Charles’ only post office is slated to close, Table de concertation Action-Gardien, a citizen’s group, is demanding that Quebec’s Conservative MPs come to the aid of the province’s citizens and pressure Minister Cannon to reverse Canada Post’s decision to close the Pointe-Saint-Charles post office, and join a growing consensus in this community: Elected federal, municipal and school officials, community organizations and labour groups all support keeping the post office open.

“We want Conservative MPs to tell us how closing public post offices is going to serve people in Quebec. We want the Conservative government’s MPs and ministers to explain how moving away, reducing, eliminating or privatizing our public services is going to help develop local communities,” said Action-Gardien spokesperson Karine Triollet.

Our MPs are elected to work for their constituents and the common good. But there’s no more denying that the Conservatives MPs have carefully avoided getting involved in this issue, one which should concern them.

“There has been no response to our letter asking Ministers Cannon and Fortier as well as Canada Post CEO Moya Greene to come and meet with the local community to hear what it has to say. All we’ve gotten is feedback from a policy assistant of Mr. Cannon’s, telling us that the Minister ‘is leaving it up to Ms. Greene to respond to our letter.’ Conservative government ministers are refusing to demonstrate any public accountability and hiding behind the coat tails of the President of Canada Post, who is not an elected official,” said an indignant Ms. Triollet.

Our public services are being chopped by an unelected official

A look at Canada Post CEO Moya Greene’s resume reveals that she has been responsible for privatizing CN Rail, deregulating aviation in Canada and commercializing the country’s port system. Moreover, during her term as Director-General for Policy in the federal government, it was she who guided the reform of unemployment insurance.

This kind of track record leaves no doubt that everywhere Moya goes, she is doing the government’s bidding.  Community groups represented by Action-Garden says it’s now time for Conservative politicians to assume their responsibilities, do their job and listen to the will of the people.

Canada-wide support campaign

As a result, the citizens of Pointe-Saint-Charles have decided to act so that Canada Post Corporation officials and government MPs will no longer be able to ignore them.  In addition to organizing at the local level, Action-Gardien is launching a Canada-wide campaign to garner support for maintaining public and nearby public postal services.

To carry out this campaign, Action-Gardien will be able to count on the major support of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, which will directly help it carry out this grass-roots initiative on a national scale.

Spokesperson Karine Triollet warns that “communities in Quebec and Canada need to start worrying.”  Any other neighbourhood or town could be Canada Post’s next Pointe-Saint-Charles targeted for closures as part of Canada Post’s rationalization plans, which are disrespectful of its public-service mandate and of Canadians.

Jacques Valiquette, of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, says this so-called relocation of the post office to the Bridge station is in fact a disguised closure that is part of the Corporation’s plans to modernize.

Mr. Valiquette adds that Ms. Greene, who is now on a national tour to present her rationalization plan, is targeting our public postal service to increase profits. If she reaches that objective, it will mean deteriorating postal service for people across the country – something Ms. Greene is careful not to reveal in her speeches.

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